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S4522
SENATE, No. 4522
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED JUNE 26, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� DOUGLAS J. STEINHARDT
District 23 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes State school aid category to support
certain school districts located in municipalities that are part of Highlands
or Pinelands preservation areas.��
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning State school aid for certain school
districts and supplementing P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-43 et al.).
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a.� As used in this
section, �qualifying school district� means a school district that:
���� (1) experienced a net loss in
State school aid in the 2024-2025 school year compared to the 2017-2018 school
year pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2018, c.67 (C.18A:7F-68);
���� (2) has a resident enrollment
greater than 500 students; and
���� (3) is located wholly in a
municipality in which at least 10 percent of the total acreage of the
municipality is situated in the Highlands preservation area designated by
subsection b. of section 7 of P.L.2004, c.120 (C.13:20-7) or the Pinelands
preservation area designated by subsection b. of section 10 of P.L.1979, c.111
(C.13:18A-11).�
���� A qualifying school district
shall not include regional school districts other than all-purpose regional
school districts in which one or more of the constituent school districts is
wholly located in a municipality in which at least 10 percent of the total
acreage of the municipality is situated in the Highlands preservation area or
the Pinelands preservation area.�
���� b.� In addition to any other
State school aid provided pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2007, c.260
(C.18A:7F-43 et al.), a qualifying school district shall be eligible to receive
additional State school aid pursuant to this section.� The additional State
school aid shall equal the product of multiplying $250 by the number of acres
in the municipality in which the qualifying school district is located that are
situated in the Highlands preservation area or the Pinelands preservation
area.� A qualifying school district with resident enrollment greater than 500
students but less than 1,000 students, however, shall not receive an allocation
of additional State school aid pursuant to this section that exceeds $2,500,000
in any school year.� A qualifying school district with resident enrollment
greater than 1,000 students shall not receive an allocation of additional State
school aid pursuant to this section that exceeds $5,000,000 in any school year.
���� 2. This act shall take effect
immediately and shall first apply to the first full school year following the
date of enactment.
STATEMENT
���� This bill provides additional
State school aid to certain school districts located in municipalities that are
part of the Highlands preservation area or the Pinelands preservation area as
established by current law.
���� As defined by the bill, a
qualifying school district is one that experienced a net loss in State school
aid pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2018, c.67, commonly known as �S2,� and
has a resident enrollment of over 500 students.� In addition, a qualifying
school district is required to be wholly located in a municipality in which at
least 10 percent of the total acreage of the municipality is situated in the
Highlands preservation area or the Pinelands preservation area.� A qualifying
school district�s allocation of aid under the bill would equal the product of
multiplying $250 by the number of acres in the municipality in which the
qualifying school district is located that are situated in the Highlands
preservation area or the Pinelands preservation area.� The bill limits the
total amount a qualifying school district may receive in a given school year,
however, depending on the number of students enrolled in the district.